About GameSetWatch

GameSetWatch.com is the alt.video game weblog and sister site of Gamasutra.com. It is dedicated to collecting curious links and media for offbeat and oft-ignored games from consoles old and new, as well as from the digital download, iOS, and indie spaces.

How's this for a concept: it's the year 201X, and vampires have made a new home in Tokyo's Akihabara district, otherwise known as every video game/giant robot/animu dork's paradise. Since this particular breed of bloodsuckers can walk the streets during daytime, it's easy for them to blend in with the locals. Hence why some have become part of the local economy, with the end result being a bunch of vampires dressed as maids, trying to lure hapless otaku to some maid cafe where they are in fact the main entrée! Or so I'd like to imagine.

Akiba's Trip has you assuming the titular role of Akiba, who must roam the streets of Electric Town in search of a missing friend. As events unfold, you discover the vampires' presence and must eliminate them. Because they burn up when their naked skin is exposed to sunlight, the basic thrust of the game centers around you properly identifying them (via some sort of special camera from what I can tell) and ripping their clothes off. The vampires are, conveniently enough, mostly of the fairer sex… to save a friend's life, of course.

From what I've been able to gather from mostly YouTube clips since the game was first announced a few months back, you eventually form a merry band of otaku to lend assistance in your mission. So, at long last, the creepy dude that loves taking up-skirt shots can finally put his perversion to good use. Here's a clip of the game's primary gameplay; as you’ll see, the vampires aren't pushovers and will put up a fight:

The game was produced by Acquire, the folks responsible for the Tenchu series. Since recent installments have failed to light the world on fire, guess they had to pay the bills somehow. Plus, say what you will, the game managed to score 8, 7, 7, and 7 (out of 10) from Famitsu, which is not that bad.